Every year patent trolls file thousands of frivolous lawsuits, mostly against young startups. These lawsuits can lead to millions of dollars in litigation costs, and cause some startups to go under before they have a chance to grow and create good jobs.

We support Rep. Goodlatte's reintroduction of the Innovation Act, a bipartisan bill targeted at fixing the out-of-control patent troll problem - but this bill has a long way to go before it is signed by the president.

You can help. Click below to tweet at your Representative and Senators. Tell them they need to take a stand against patent trolls and put meaningful patent reform up to a vote.

The Rise of the Patent Troll

The Basics

1. Startups are responsible for all net job growth over the last thirty years and the rise of the patent troll model is threatening that continued growth.

2. Engine research tells us that for every new high-tech job, 4.3 other jobs are created in a local economy

3. The majority of companies targeted by patent trolls have less than $10 million in revenue. When small businesses face dubious multimillion dollar lawsuits, our innovation economy suffers.

4. Non-practicing entities - or patent trolls - filed 2,791 new suits in 2014, up 500% from 2005. And those types of lawsuits are expensive, costing defendants $1 trillion in lost wealth from 1990-2010 alone.

5. Lawsuits by patent trolls accounted for nearly two-thirds of all new patent suits filed last year, and over half of all new patent defendants. This is a perversion of the justice system.

6. We are facing an epidemic and American businesses are paying the price. We need leadership and action - now.

Tweet @ Congress

In partnership with:

Sign up for the Engine Newsletter

Follow Us:

Your privacy is important to us. To better protect your privacy we provide this notice explaining our online information practices and the choices you can make about the way your information is collected and used.CareersDevelopment Contributors

We’re calling you now to connect you with your Senator.

Introduce yourself — who you are, who you work for, and where you live

Tell your Senator that you support immediate patent reform to curb the growing patent troll problem.

Tell your Senator that the majority of companies targeted by patent trolls have less than $10 million in revenue. It's important that they understand it's small, growing businesses that are suffering.

Thank your Senator for their time.

If you’re asked, you can tell the staffer that you’re calling about ongoing negotiations in the Senate Judiciary Committee -- not a specific bill.

Tell your twitter followers that you just called your Senator to #fixpatents